Al-Qaida militants storm northwestern Syrian town

The al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front and likeminded groups made fresh progress Saturday, storming a new government-controlled town in northwestern Syria, activists reported.

Several hard-line groups, mainly al-Nusra, overran the town of Jisr al-Shughour in the countryside of Idlib province, just days after the jihadist militants unleashed an operation dubbed the "Battle of Victory" with the aim of claiming control of that key town near the Turkish borders, several activist groups reported, including the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Observatory said clashes have been raging in the vicinity of Jisr al-Shughour and in some parts of it since midnight, adding that the violent battles inside the town were coupled with six Syrian airstrikes against the militants' positions there.

The push toward Jisr al-Shughour came less than a month since the al-Qaida affiliates captured the city of Idlib, limiting the government control to some towns in the countryside of Idlib.

The offensive also signifies the militants' resolve to expand their control to the entire province of Idlib, just a couple of years after the Islamic State (IS) group captured the northern city of al-Raqqa.

The predominantly-Sunni Jisr al-Shughour was one of first areas to spiral out of the government control when the crisis began in 2011, following the killing of 140 Syrian soldiers back then. The Syrian forces later recaptured the town.

Meanwhile, photos and video footage appeared on the opposition TVs Saturday, purporting to show the jihadist militants in the streets of Jisr al-Shughour.

The state news agency SANA, for its side, cited military sources as saying that the Syrian army forces are engaged in intense battles against the "terrorists" in Jisr al-Shughour and its vicinity in Idlib. Endit